New photo reveals MacBook Pro, new display also possible

[AppleInsider]

A new photo showing a fully assembled next-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro with a black display bezel has surfaced, which AppleInsider can confirm is legitimate. Separately, Apple is believed to be readying a new breed of display which may or may not be announced tomorrow.

MacBook Pro

The image, published by Engadget, comes via the same source (JR) who leaked authentic photos of Apple's fourth-generation iPod nano to several news sites days before the company publicly unveiled the player at a media event last month. AppleInsider believes the image was taken on at the Apple Town Hall on Apple's Cupertino campus earlier today during a product briefing.

The latest photo shows a 15-inch MacBook Pro comprised of aluminum with a glass display that's framed by a black bezel, matching AppleInsider's description from April, which noted that the new systems would take design cues from both the aluminum iMacs and MacBook Air. A source who has recently seen the new 15-inch MacBook confirms the image to be legitimate.

Also visible from the photo is what appears to be a new generation of Apple trackpad that lacks a dedicated button. A report received by AppleInsider this evening described a MacBook Pro with a black display bezel whose entire trackpad would serve as a button.

Update: The new MacBook Pro will reportedly feature two NVIDIA graphics cards, according to Engadget and our own sources -- an integrated GPU for normal use and a dedicated card that will be tapped when the extra power is needed.

Our sources add that the two chips will combine to support Hybrid SLI, where the integrated graphics chip would assist the GPU to boost performance when the MacBook Pro is plugged to a power socket while the dedicated chip would be shut down when the system was unplugged from power socket to lower overall graphics power consumption.

As such, Apple will also be touting some "sick" battery claims on these new notebooks, our sources claim.





DisplayPort possible

The source who filed that reported added that the new MacBook Pro featured what appears to be a mini DisplayPort (possibly corroborating a recent blog post) rather than a mini DVI port.

DisplayPort is a new license-free, royalty-free, digital audio/video interconnect, intended to be used primarily between a computer and its display monitor, or a computer and a home-theater system.

New displays

Meanwhile, a couple of sources believe Apple is reading new displays that also sport a DisplayPort connector and MageSafe adapter. The displays, which may or may not be announced tomorrow, are said to resemble the existing aluminum iMacs without the "chin" of aluminum, featuring a thinner version of the iMac's stand and black bezel (like the MacBook Pro seen above).

A second source adds that the display is about 24-inches and features a "super thin" base stand. The new 24-inch display may be the mysteriously-priced $899 Apple product that recently turned up in Apple's systems, rather than a $899 MacBook (though this much is not certain).

The $899 product is codenamed K29, while all other products on the price list begin with an "M" such as "M96." Apple has traditionally used different codename trackers for its accessory products. For instance, several years ago, its Mac codenames began with a "Q" and its MightyMouse codename started with an "M." Alternatively, Apple could be attempting to disguise the product from its own partners.

Update: MacRumors also has information to suggest that Apple holds an LED-lit Apple Cinema Display, and similarly suggests that the new display may be the $899 product that turned up in Apple's inventory systems.

Pricing

In recent hours, AppleInsider has also received confirmation that the aforementioned price list does indeed exist in Apple's retail systems. The prices are as follows:

MB382LL/A $899.00 (K29) (could be the display or could be MacBook)
MB466LL/A $1,299.00 (M97) (could be MacBook)
MB467LL/A $1,599.00 (M97) (could be MacBook)
MB543LL/A $1,799.00 (M96) (could be MacBook Air)
MB940LL/A $2,499.00 (M96) (could be MacBook Air)
MB470LL/A $1,999.00 (M98) (could be 15-inch MacBook Pro)
MB471LL/A $2,499.00 (M98) (could be 15-inch MacBook Pro)
MB766LL/A $2,799.00 (M88) (could be 15- or 17-inch MacBook Pro)

17-inch delay

On its blogs, AppleInsider also noted that a new 17-inch MacBook Pro is unlikely to surface tomorrow (though one exists in the labs), a bumped MacBook Air may not be immediately available for purchase, and that Blu-ray drives may not happen.

Live Coverage of Today's Event

AppleInsider will be providing live aggregate coverage of today's announcements. In the meantime, readers can register for the AppleInsider forums (it's quick) and join the discussion.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[acvball92]

firrrrsttt

looks really nice, hope it's true

[Phlake]

Everyone please brace yourselves for the fury of those who hate glossy screens.

[Samnuva]

Originally Posted by Phlake

Everyone please brace yourselves for the fury of those who hate glossy screens.

Glossy will be an option. Apple knows to many people are Anti-Glossy to make it required.
I'm Pro-Glossy, BTW. If There's a problem with a reflection, move the computer.

[fishbert]

That's a nice background on that MacBook Pro... oh, wait, that's acoustic ceiling tile.

[wolvie]

Glossy has more vivid pictures, colors pop a little more.
Matte is good if you hate glare.

I sure hope they never stop offering the option of either.

[mdriftmeyer]

Butt ugly. It appears to be a cojoinment of an iMac display screen superimposed on a MacBook Air.

Better be a fake.

[Animal Farm]

Where's the trackpad button gone? Will they use multi-touch for all clicking purposes? Interesting...

[NasserAE]

Looks good and probably the real thing.

I love Apples $200 students discount on MBP

[fishbert]

Originally Posted by Animal Farm

Where's the trackpad button gone? Will they use multi-touch for all clicking purposes? Interesting...

Good eye, good eye.

With the pictures of the MBP casing, I was worried that Apple was going to stick three buttons at the top of the trackpad like HP (sure looked like three cutouts or supports in that area). I like the sans-button move; didn't think it could get any cleaner than it was.

[sennen]

Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer

Butt ugly. It appears to be a cojoinment of an iMac display screen superimposed on a MacBook Air.

Better be a fake.

lol. the first word that popped into my head was "sexy". though i am typing this on a Aug07 iMac with the black bezel... i like the way when it is open the glass goes right down below the lower half of the notebook, as opposed to having a metal surround.

each to their own...

[Johnny Mozzarella]

Originally Posted by Animal Farm

Where's the trackpad button gone? Will they use multi-touch for all clicking purposes? Interesting...

Nice catch!
Looks like they will use just the trackpad itself.
I personally turn of trackpad clicking because I get too many false positives.

[killamike]

oooohoho... looks pretty shweet! but what's gonna happen with the power trackpad button?


btw, i never really noticed it, but does apple sell macbook on the same day they announce it? or will it be available the day after?

[solsun]

Originally Posted by Samnuva

Glossy will be an option. Apple knows to many people are Anti-Glossy to make it required.
I'm Pro-Glossy, BTW. If There's a problem with a reflection, move the computer.

I wouldn't be so sure about that.. The glass looks like it does on the iMac which is part of the design, not so easy to offer a choice unless they have two completely different designs..

I think it's gonna be all glossy..

[fishbert]

Originally Posted by Samnuva

Glossy will be an option. Apple knows to many people are Anti-Glossy to make it required.

The iMac has been glossy-only for quite a while now. I'm worried that they're moving that way across the line.

An iMac? Ok, it stays indoors under the same lighting conditions. But a laptop?! A glossy-only laptop would be a nightmare outdoors.

[solsun]

Originally Posted by fishbert

The iMac has been glossy-only for quite a while now. I'm worried that they're moving that way across the line.

An iMac? Ok, it stays indoors under the same lighting conditions. But a laptop?! A glossy-only laptop would be a nightmare outdoors.

The MacBook has been glossy only for quite a while as well..

[Cory Bauer]

Sexy.

[astrubhar]

That is one nice looking laptop.

I hope that is the real thing.

[Macd-to-death]

So sexy
I am probably going for high-end MacBook. Think the mb will share an analogous look? They seem to be moving in that direction generally.
Will they be out right away like nano, or with delay like 3G.

[ICD-EVIL]

Im guessing they will be out right away just like apple always does.

[TenoBell]

Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer

Butt ugly. It appears to be a cojoinment of an iMac display screen superimposed on a MacBook Air.

Better be a fake.

Its logical as Apple is working to consolidate designs across its products. The iPhone 3G has a black border around its shiny screen as well.

[kaiser_soze]

This does not look nearly as attractive to me as the present MBP. Let's hope that it looks better in person that it does in this not-so-good picture.

The screen on this one is ultra-shiny. Many people like that, so it's good that it is offered. The availability of anti-glare screen is one of the the things that differentiates the MacBook from the MacBook Pro, and I certainly hope that they do not drop the anti-glare option from the MBP. Another important attribute that distinguishes the present MacBook Pro from its two brethren is the quality of the keyboard. Given that the keyboard here and in the other pictures has the individual-keys-through-the-plate design, I am concerned that the keyboard will mimic the keyboard from the lesser MacBooks in the important respects of the tactile sensation and the surface shape of the top of the keys.

Truth be told, after seeing this, I am hoping that this turns out not to be the replacement for the MacBook Pro. I've been waiting for the new ones for a long while, anticipating that I would buy one as soon as they came out, and wanting desperately to get away from Microsoft's crappy software. I suppose I'll know tomorrow, but at this moment I am doubting if I will be buying one. If they've gone to the inferior keyboard on the MBP, that will be a huge strike against it so far as I am concerned, and if by chance they have dropped the option for the anti-glare scree, then I certainly will not buy one.

I was also hoping that the new version of the OS would be released alongside these new models, because I find it exceedingly annoying that the physical size of the system fonts, i.e., the fonts that are not readily controllable by the application, are determined by the native resolution of the screen unless you set the effective screen resolution to something other than its native resolution. Much as I detest Microsoft's operating systems, they at least had enough sense to realize that the size of the system fonts should be scalable and thus de-coupled from the native screen resolution, and it boggles my mind that Apple still has not addressed this. They should have made this a priority for an interim release, but for that matter they should have made it a priority when they decided to shift to a UNIX-based operating system. It just boggles my mind that the physical size of the system fonts is determined by the native screen resolution (and physical size of the screen). I guess I'm like a stuck record for repeating that, but it really does boggle my mind, and I really, really want for Apple to fix this. If this won't be fixed until the next version comes out sometime next year, then this presents a dilema for me. I just can't stand this Microsoft junk any longer, but if I buy a MacBook now, then I'll have to put up with that absurd situation with the system fonts until Apple gets around to releasing a version of the OS that addresses this problem. If it happens that the native resolution of the new 15" MacBook Pro is significantly increased, then the consequence will be that the system fonts are going to be so small that I'll probably end up with headaches from trying to read the system fonts. Apple's handing of font scaling on the screen is woefully inadequate, and they should give this the very highest priority within new OS features.

So all in all, given that the keyboard is probably going to be inferior and that the problem with the system fonts has still not been fixed, I'm feeling pretty depresed over this. I had really, really been looking forward to this for quite a long while. But it's now starting to look like its DOA as far as I am concerned.

[webraider]

Could Display port enable apple to finally show BlueRay media from their computers to their displays????

[bloggerblog]

Looks like they took a Sony Vaio's screen and frankensteined it with a G4 Powerbook!
Black keyboard in a pro? that's so yesterday (PB G4).
I too hope it looks better in real life, I'm preferring the current look.
I'm sure I'll be wrong comes tomorrow, SJ will make it sound gorgeously insane!

[Cory Bauer]

Originally Posted by webraider

Could Display port enable apple to finally show BlueRay media from their computers to their displays????

I was wondering the same.

[bloggerblog]

or is that insanely gorgeous!
tell tale signs for nap time.

[pixelcruncher]

Rumor of no 17???? Just my luck, been waiting sooo long. Want the 17, need a dedicated GPU for FCS acceleration. I will be one sad little monkey if no 17 shows up tomorrow. Was prepared to order the second the store was back up.

[Cicero]

Is that a macbook like magnetic latch I see?

[CAM]

Very slick... and in person it will look even better. I love the buttonless track pad.

[Marvin]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella

I personally turn of trackpad clicking because I get too many false positives.

So do I, even with the advances on the iphone, a drag can be interpreted as a click. I'd use an external mouse anyway but I can see this causing issues.

It seems something has filled up the mysterious port at the front. It's definitely a slot for something just like the expresscard slot. It would be cool if it was a remote holder. A little over-engineered for that but if there's room, they may as well.

I think the display doesn't look too bad style-wise. The keyboard on the other hand is much uglier than I expected - this is just like the original powerbook. It will be a more functional keyboard so I don't mind that - there probably won't be any paint to peel off them - but still, white keys on silver looks much better like the Apple desktop keyboards. Again though, black is more functional as it won't get so dirty.

Whenever I saw the reflections though, I got very disappointed. I can only hope there is an option for matte left. I don't see how there will be because of the way the display is built. It looks like it has a glass panel in front. This worries me greatly concerning the Cinema displays. I keep saying to myself they just can't get rid of the matte but this is Apple and they do whatever they like.

It's good to see magsafe in other products. I'd like to see it in the Mini too because the connector it has right now doesn't sit very well in the port.

It's also good to see displayport as it means high res support as well as daisy chaining multiple displays. This would be a good addition to a Mini too so that it can handle multiple displays.

[Haggar]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella

Nice catch!
Looks like they will use just the trackpad itself.
I personally turn of trackpad clicking because I get too many false positives.

You are not the only one who has problems with "tap to click". Just because it works on the iPhone does not mean it's a good idea for a touchpad. For example, the iPhone has a touch screen so you can directly tap on the button you want. Laptops require you to move a cursor on the screen to select menus, drag files, and click buttons. Since the laptop screen is much larger than the touchpad and the screen is not mapped one-to-one on the touchpad, users may reach the edge of the touchpad before they finish moving the cursor. In order to continue moving the cursor, users have to repeatedly take the finger off the touchpad and then put it back on the touchpad. But the act of placing a finger on the touchpad can often trigger a mouse click when the user did not intend to click. This causes problems like accidentally moving icons or clicking on menu items.

If there is no touchpad button, then will everyone be forced to use "tap to click" with all its associated problems? Or will the touchpad be designed so it can be physically pressed down like a button?

[TenoBell]

Originally Posted by webraider

Could Display port enable apple to finally show BlueRay media from their computers to their displays????

DRM decryption in OS X is also needed.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by kaiser_soze

This does not look nearly as attractive to me as the present MBP. Let's hope that it looks better in person that it does in this not-so-good picture.

The screen on this one is ultra-shiny. Many people like that, so it's good that it is offered. The availability of anti-glare screen is one of the the things that differentiates the MacBook from the MacBook Pro, and I certainly hope that they do not drop the anti-glare option from the MBP. Another important attribute that distinguishes the present MacBook Pro from its two brethren is the quality of the keyboard. Given that the keyboard here and in the other pictures has the individual-keys-through-the-plate design, I am concerned that the keyboard will mimic the keyboard from the lesser MacBooks in the important respects of the tactile sensation and the surface shape of the top of the keys.

Truth be told, after seeing this, I am hoping that this turns out not to be the replacement for the MacBook Pro. I've been waiting for the new ones for a long while, anticipating that I would buy one as soon as they came out, and wanting desperately to get away from Microsoft's crappy software. I suppose I'll know tomorrow, but at this moment I am doubting if I will be buying one. If they've gone to the inferior keyboard on the MBP, that will be a huge strike against it so far as I am concerned, and if by chance they have dropped the option for the anti-glare scree, then I certainly will not buy one.

I was also hoping that the new version of the OS would be released alongside these new models, because I find it exceedingly annoying that the physical size of the system fonts, i.e., the fonts that are not readily controllable by the application, are determined by the native resolution of the screen unless you set the effective screen resolution to something other than its native resolution. Much as I detest Microsoft's operating systems, they at least had enough sense to realize that the size of the system fonts should be scalable and thus de-coupled from the native screen resolution, and it boggles my mind that Apple still has not addressed this. They should have made this a priority for an interim release, but for that matter they should have made it a priority when they decided to shift to a UNIX-based operating system. It just boggles my mind that the physical size of the system fonts is determined by the native screen resolution (and physical size of the screen). I guess I'm like a stuck record for repeating that, but it really does boggle my mind, and I really, really want for Apple to fix this. If this won't be fixed until the next version comes out sometime next year, then this presents a dilema for me. I just can't stand this Microsoft junk any longer, but if I buy a MacBook now, then I'll have to put up with that absurd situation with the system fonts until Apple gets around to releasing a version of the OS that addresses this problem. If it happens that the native resolution of the new 15" MacBook Pro is significantly increased, then the consequence will be that the system fonts are going to be so small that I'll probably end up with headaches from trying to read the system fonts. Apple's handing of font scaling on the screen is woefully inadequate, and they should give this the very highest priority within new OS features.

So all in all, given that the keyboard is probably going to be inferior and that the problem with the system fonts has still not been fixed, I'm feeling pretty depresed over this. I had really, really been looking forward to this for quite a long while. But it's now starting to look like its DOA as far as I am concerned.

You're way off on some of this.

Apple stated that 10.6 would be a year off. That now puts it around the time of the ADC, in June-July. There wasn't even a thought it would be released now.

Why do you assume the keyboard will be inferior? The laptop keyboards have been given good grades.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Cicero

Is that a macbook like magnetic latch I see?

Eh!

I was reading through all the posts to see if anyone brought that up.

Yeah, it seems odd. Possibly that's the Macbook, and not the MBP.

I was hoping the latch would be removed on the MB as well.

doesn't seem so.

[fellaintga]

Jobs probably going to cut his manhood when he finds him.

[Haggar]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

The source who filed that reported added that the new MacBook Pro featured what appears to be a mini DisplayPort (possibly corroborating a recent blog post) rather than a mini DVI port.

Every time a new display technology is released, Apple has to go and make their own proprietary version of the connector. Why is Apple so obsessed with making proprietary display connectors? What's wrong with using the standard DisplayPort connector?

[TenoBell]

Originally Posted by melgross

Eh!
I was hoping the latch would be removed on the MB as well.

doesn't seem so.

Removed? The wording is a little confusing because with the MB having no mechanical latch their is nothing to remove only add.

I would imagine they've gone magnetic across the line.[/quote]

Oops! yup. Got that reversed.

Well, from that picture, the mechanical latch on the MBP is still there. I had also hoped they would go all magnetic.

[Virgil-TB2]

Even though these look very real (and probably are real), the fit and finish of the lid on the bottom image is just awful.

I'm wondering why Apple would replace the precision engineered aluminium laptops they have now, with something that looks like it has a plastic lid that doesn't even quite fit properly over the main frame? That bottom one has to be the MacBook and not the Pro.

It's also worth noting that the rumour about the $899 part being a single stand-alone new type of display seems a bit of non-sensical. So assuming the different part number means it isn't a MacBook but some other product, then what could it be?

[Cory Bauer]

Originally Posted by Haggar

Every time a new display technology is released, Apple has to go and make their own proprietary version of the connector. Why is Apple so obsessed with making proprietary display connectors? What's wrong with using the standard DisplayPort connector?

They want to make sure that you can't connect their overpriced monitors to anything in four years.

[dreyfus2]

Well, the missing trackpad button is not bothering me - I have the current 17" model and I would prefer to have it removed. It is good for nothing and only makes using gestures harder.

Other thoughts:

- No more sleep light? (Shame if so)
- Optical drive on the side = less useful on full desks, no more handy USB ports on both sides?
- I hope the keyboard is better than on the MBA - the current MBP keyboard was perfection, black keyboards are butt ugly.
- Who wants to bet if Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort, DVI and VGA adapters will be in the box and how many more adapters/add-ons will I have to add to make any use of this mobile machine (eSATA Express Card, Analog Modem, HSDPA Modem, CardReader, USB Hub and DVI-to-VGA already in my bag all the time - great the notebook itself is slim though)...
- If there is no non-glossy option for the MBP Apple will loose me after 24 years (and some 400k spent). The black bezel is cheap - it is ugly on the iMac, but it looks even worse on this picture. Other manufacturers try hard to make bezels go away...

If this is really it, I hope for other news to be better. I got somewhat used to Apple's form over function approach, but this is not even good looking.